Direct2Drive Introduces PC Gaming Rentals

Direct2DriveOne of the downsides to PC gaming (and one of the defenses that some PC gamers use for piracy) has always been the lack of ability to rent the games that we are the most interested in. Sure, there are demos available, but we all know that demos don’t necessarily showcase a game in the best way possible. But what if you could rent PC games, and do it legally?

That’s the very question that Direct2Drive, also known as D2D, addresses in a new announcement: beginning today, they are offering a PC gaming rental service. Basically, you pay $5.00 to download a game to your hard drive. You get 5 hours of playing time. If you decide you want to keep it, the $5.00 goes toward the full purchase.

Honestly, getting the money toward your purchase makes this an even better deal than traditional video game rentals. While they’re only offering a handful of games at the moment (Silent Hill: Homecoming, Grid and Divinity II), this is definitely something to keep an eye on. I’d love to see this service expanded into something even bigger and better. It should also be noted that OnLive offers PC rentals, but that is via streaming, as opposed to downloading and playing the game directly.

So, what do you guys think of this? Cool? Uncool?

Source – D2D

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I write about samurai girls and space marines. Writer for Smooth Few Films. Rooster Teeth Freelancer. Author of Red vs. Blue, The Ultimate Fan Guide, out NOW!

8 thoughts on “Direct2Drive Introduces PC Gaming Rentals”

  1. I guess it’s a good try… A store in my city used to rent PC games before everyone had CD Burners in there machines… So it didn’t last long. I’m not interested in $5.00 for 5 hours though, if I’m paying $5, let me have it for a few days so I can finish it, the way you would a 6 – 8 hour console game.

    just a little too little too late.

    1. Julez, I’m pretty sure it’s 5 hours of play time, not 5 hours total. Considering the length of most games is 10-15 hours, I’d say that’s a good deal, no? And even then, your money goes to purchase. That’s better than other rental stores, by far.

  2. Awesome! Its nice to see the Pc gaming evolving. Its like Xbox live’s games on demand but better as it counts toward your purchase.

  3. [quote comment=”15365″]I guess it’s a good try… A store in my city used to rent PC games before everyone had CD Burners in there machines… So it didn’t last long. I’m not interested in $5.00 for 5 hours though, if I’m paying $5, let me have it for a few days so I can finish it, the way you would a 6 – 8 hour console game.

    just a little too little too late.[/quote]
    That defeats the purpose there Julez.

  4. The Price is a bit steep seeing as the redbox has been renting out console games for $2. Its nice to see them try though especially if steam picks up on this, though I don’t see that happening any time soon.

  5. Hey, I understand what they’re trying to do. But I mean, when I used to rent games for PS2, I would finish them… you pay $4 and get them home to play the crap out of them. I understand that it would be 5 hours of gameplay, but still. There’s no real easy way to rent PC games obviously, but it IS sweet that it goes towards the purchase should you choose.

    More people just need to realize the value of a good demo! and yes, I mean a free demo.

  6. [quote comment=”15375″]Hmn, interesting system. I’m surprised it hasn’t been done before though.[/quote]
    That’s probably to the insane amount of copyright issues. I am not sure. But does Gamefly mail pc games or just console games?

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